Ex-cop loses bid to suppress evidence in his OVI case

A former Struthers police officer will not have evidence suppressed in his operating-a-vehicle-impaired case, a judge has ruled.

Daniel Lamping, a seven-year, full-time member of the police force, had asked for evidence to be suppressed at a hearing Oct. 30.

Had Judge Joseph Houser of Mahoning County Area Court here ruled to suppress the evidence, the case likely would not have moved forward. It is now set for a pretrial March 26.

In a judgment entry filed Thursday, Judge Houser said the Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper who stopped Lamping on July 16 on South Avenue in Boardman for driving without headlights had probable cause to stop him.

The court docket notes the trooper reported Lamping’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and there was a strong odor of alcohol.

City officials fired Lamping at the end of July. He lost his bid to get his job back through arbitration earlier this month.